


I can't Stop

by ForgottenAngerCourter



Series: I can't Stop [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Law is Happy, Luffy likes to tease, M/M, Protective Luffy, Supportive Strawhats, Zou Arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2018-12-25 23:50:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12046884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgottenAngerCourter/pseuds/ForgottenAngerCourter
Summary: “If Torao-kun ever hurts Luffy, I am going to break him.”Franky murmured his agreement, even if they both knew that the likelihood of Law hurting Luffy was practically impossible. “He’s nakama now Robin.” Franky smiled, “He’s not going anywhere. Like it or not we’re stuck with him.”





	1. If I'm being Honest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honest by The Chainsmokers is an amazing song- and it is a song that I listened to on repeat while writing this chapter :)

Nico Robin was sitting on the bench beside the railing of the Going Luffy-Senpai, and she felt utterly content as she nursed her cup of coffee and watched the sunrise.

She heard Franky cursing in the background as he continued to work on repairing the deck from its latest bout of damage, and Robin didn’t have the heart to stop the poor shipwright. He’d been in an increasingly irritable mood these past few days, and she couldn’t blame him for it. Because no matter how hard he worked, every time he turned around something else was damaged. It was fraying on his nerves to see a ship in such bad shape, and if Bartolomew had not looked so happily devastated at Franky’s angry lecturing, then Robin might have felt the need to intervene before Franky bit the head off of the poor Rooster.

But despite all of the hardships that they had encountered these past few days, Robin couldn’t help but feel optimistic- because so many good things had happened as well. She smiled a secret little smile when she thought of her captain’s ever-growing good mood, because it made everything that had happened on Dressrosa worth it. Even the fact that their crew was forced to separate again was bearable because it was only temporary, and Robin was nothing if not patient.

It also probably helped that this time, she wasn't alone.

The sound of Franky hammering nails behind her was surprisingly soothing as Robin took another sip of her freshly brewed coffee. It wasn’t the best she had ever had but it was adequate, and as she gazed at the stunning view of the sun on the ocean, Robin’s thoughts twisted and turned over the enigma that called himself her captain.

After two years apart they had been finally been reunited, and while everything had _seemed_ to fit back together perfectly, Nico Robin had known that something was wrong.  

There was something _very_ wrong with her captain, and she had not been the only one to notice. They had all noticed, and they had all grown increasingly concerned at his strange behavior, especially because they had no idea how to fix what was wrong.

Nami had taken Luffy’s change particularly hard, and now she could no longer bring herself to lecture him even when she normally wouldn’t have hesitated. Robin suspected that it was because Luffy had been there for her when her life had come crashing down, and she had not been there when his own had done the same. Robin could emphasize with this, because while she knew intellectually that she could not have been there in time, it still hurt to know that Luffy had been forced to go through that trauma alone.

_Or maybe, not as alone as we all feared._

Because just as she was thinking this, her clueless captain stumbled on deck with wet hair, no shirt on, and wearing the most laid-back smile she had ever seen him wear.

He waved happily at her before disappearing into the kitchen to get his breakfast, and if Nico Robin had been a lessor woman, she might have cried actual tears of relief at the sight of her captain so happy.

Because while she and the rest of the crew had fretted, had tried to be there and slowly heal the wounds that Luffy refused to say he had- those wounds were finally closing. Nico Robin knew from experience that they would never fully heal, but she also knew from experience that this did not mean that he could not be happy.

“And what is such a _super_ gorgeous woman like yourself thinking about so early, hmm?”

Robin turned her eyes away from the kitchen door in order to look at Franky, who had plopped himself down to sit at her feet. His arms leaned back against the empty space beside her, and Robin was once again amazed to notice just how large he had become after these past two years. Even while sitting on a bench above him, he was almost eye level to her as he threw back his head and chugged a large gulp of cola.

Robin hid her grin behind her coffee mug, “A lot of things really, but I’m mainly thinking about our Captain and Torao-kun.”

Franky snorted, and turned to look at her with a smirk that he would have be proud to say was perfectly perverted, “Our little Captain is growing up.”

He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye as he lamented on his captain finally becoming a man, and Robin laughed when he descended into a dramatic speech on how proud he was of his captain. Behind all of these dramatics however, she could see just how relieved he was to see Luffy happy again. Carefree again.

Franky suddenly paused mid sentence, and Robin turned to see what had caught his attention.

Luffy was balancing four plates of food in his hands and one on his head as he called for someone to open the door to the inner ship. He gave the crewmate who did so a thankful grin and then disappeared, presumably back to Bartolomew’s quarters where Law was waiting for him.

They were both silent for long a moment as they watched their captain disappear into the depths of the ship, and then Nico Robin felt something heavy and warm settle against her shoulder.

She felt Franky sigh against her neck as he leaned his head against her, his eyes closing so that he could rub at them with one of the small hands inside of his larger ones, “You know, if I was a lesser man I might be jealous of the little guy.”

Nico Robin chuckled, and then she pressed down on Franky’s nose much to his surprise. Three seconds later his hair sprang out, and Robin tenderly ran her hand through it as if he were a cute little monster.

“But you aren’t a lesser man, and that means you’re just as happy for him as I am.”

“Mhmm…” Franky closed his eyes and happily let Robin continue petting him as he listened to the excited mutterings of Bartolomew’s crew. Apparently Bartolomew had gathered them all on deck in order to tell them about how he and the rest of his crew had become the Strawhats.

It was nice, listening to their story as they sailed to meet the rest of their nakama.

“If Torao-kun ever hurts Luffy, I am going to break him.”

Franky murmured his agreement, even if they both knew that the likelihood of Law hurting Luffy was practically impossible. After all, they both knew just what it felt like to be saved by their Captain, and so they both knew that Law would rather die then hurt him. And if he ever actually _did_ hurt Luffy, then Law would probably welcome their violence with open arms.

“He’s nakama now Robin.” Franky smiled, and teasingly ticked her side with one of his small hands, “He’s not going anywhere. Like it or not we’re stuck with him.”

Robin giggled helplessly and draped herself along Franky’s back, relaxing into his teasing hold because Nico Robin knew that she was worried about nothing- she knew that Torao would rather die then intentionally hurt them.

But sometimes, she needed someone to remind her that she didn’t always have to wait for bad things to happen.

“Let’s go and get some breakfast pretty lady, while the groupies are distracted.” Robin giggled, and allowed Franky to drag her into the kitchen, not caring to remind him that she had already eaten.

After all, she _was_ running low on coffee.

 

They first entered the fog not too long after the lightning strike electrocuted the Barto Club, and it was so thick, that no one could see more than three feet in front of their faces. Even Usopp had given up on trying to monitor their surroundings, though one of Bartolomew’s crewmates stayed in the crow's nest out of a feeling of obligation.

Zoro was fiddling with his swords again, and he was utterly annoyed with himself at his own impatience. But they were almost there- almost back home to Sunny, and competent navigators, and decent company that he could spar with. Zoro felt his eye twitch, and he mercilessly repressed his thoughts and turned to take out his frustration on the nearest target. Zoro probably should have felt bad about it, but the Barto Club got some sick sense of enjoyment out of getting yelled at, so he had stopped feeling guilty long ago.

“Oi! You guys are getting seasick too often!”

Their answering groans of agony actually _did_ make the swordsman feel a bit guilty, because he was yelling at them for something that they couldn’t control (even if it annoyed the hell out him). It was just a bad quirk that they had been cursed with, like some people’s inability to give decent directions- and he had never yelled at his crewmates for doing that because he knew they were embarrassed by it.

But still… this was just pitiful.

“Seriously, how can you call yourselves pirates?!”

Even as he said this, Bartolomew weakly reached for his pocket and muttered something about chewing gum. And then Franky was suddenly _there,_ looming over the oblivious pirate Captain like a shadow of death with his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

“Gum?”

“Grandma says it’ll help our seasickness a little bit.”

Zoro gulped gently, and eyed their surroundings with a grimace. This sudden bout of seasickness had not hit the Barto Club until early this very morning, and they all claimed that it was something that only happened when they were out at sea for an extended period of time.

“We can manage a few days without feeling sick, even a week! But after that…”

Zoro heard one of the crewmembers vomit over the side of the ship, and grimaced. They had been sailing for a little over a week, and now the Barto Club was suffering as if a plague had struck them down. They were now clinging to every little thing that they could find to help ease their suffering, which in this instance was chewing gum. Which now just so happened to be everywhere.

On the railings, on the stairs, and all over the deck of the ship as far as the eye could see. Franky had descended below deck after breakfast to repair a hole in the brig, and in the time that he had been away, the once pristine ship had become so utterly violated with gum wads that Zoro couldn’t help but feel a little pity for Bartolomew.

Luffy laughed when he saw Franky go through the motion of cracking his metal knuckles, and made no move to intervene. He was leaning against Torao’s side and nuzzling into his hands while Robin yelled out a request for Franky not to leave any permanent damage on their ally.

Franky growled out something that vaguely resembled a sound of agreement, and it was this animalistic noise that finally caused Bartolomew to realize that something was not quite right. The man’s face paled even further as he slowly, carefully, turned around to see what was behind him, and his eyes widened to worrying proportions as his face contorted in pure terror- but his girlish scream was abruptly cut off.

Law watched in fascination as Franky contorted Bartolomew’s body into all sorts of different positions, each one more punishing than the last. The one that truly interested him was the one where Franky threw Bartolomew over both of his shoulders, and almost snapped his spine in half.

Law absently rubbed on a sensitive spot on Luffy’s neck, and chuckled when he felt the man eagerly lean into his petting. Law spared the purring pirate a quick smile, and then critically eyed the Vivre card in his other hand, “Nose-ya, adjust the rudder to the starboard side, we’re drifting.”

“On it!”

With a grunt of effort and a few more adjustments, they were back on course despite the fog. Luffy eagerly chatted on about how useful Law’s Vivre card was in finding Zou, and now he was asking if Torao had a Vivre card of himself because Luffy had already given him a piece of his own.

“You can always find me, so it’s not fair if I can’t find you whenever I feel like it in return Torao!”

Law felt like Luffy was using some type of broken logic in that argument, but then again, it wasn’t like what he was suggesting was entirely disagreeable- and so it was with very little prompting that Law promised to give Luffy a piece of his Vivre card as soon as he made one, and Luffy’s answering grin was huge.

Law put a bit of extra pressure into his rubbing, and felt content when Luffy responded with happy mews. These past few days had passed by so easily- they were filled with smiles, stolen kisses, and fighting beside the man he loved. And as a result, Law couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he was becoming a little _too_ happy. Everything was going so well, and it made him anxious when he remembered just how much trouble was looming on the horizon for them.

But Law was _happy_ dammit, and he outright **refused** to let his anxiety ruin this good thing. So what if he was happy? So what if he didn’t deserve this? He _had_ this, and Law was going to fight heaven and earth and everything in between so that he could keep it.

Though, he had to admit that it was still hard for him to accept that Luffy-ya felt the same. While Law knew that no one could ever hope to replace Luffy-ya, he was not nearly as confident in the opposite being true. Law knew that he was not a good man just as well as he knew that Luffy-ya was easy to love, and in the back of his mind, sometimes Law wondered if maybe one day Luffy would find someone else to love.

But then Law would assure himself that it wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ , happen- because Luffy had shouted to him and everyone who had cared to listen that it was impossible, because Luffy only accepted the best.

And for Luffy, Law was the best.

“Boss! I see something at 2 o’clock!” The pirate in the crow’s nest was squinting through a pair of binoculars, oblivious to his twitching half-conscious captain as he eagerly reported the first thing he had been able to see since they entered the fog.

Franky was still creepily muttering about proper ship maintenance over the traumatized pirate captain, and so Zoro wisely decided to ask the questions for him.

“What is it?”

There was a brief pause in which several crew members took the time to gag on the bile in their throats, but the man in the crow’s nest was quick to recover, “In the dense fog, I’m seeing something that is either a mountain or a monster…”

Usopp felt a chill run down his spine when Luffy’s eyes gained a particularly frightening sheen, but for the first time in a long time, it was not Usopp who started yelling out denials first.

“Well, I hope there isn’t a monster that can be mistaken for a mountain!” Bartolomew was rolling onto his stomach and gagging into his hand even as he shouted that his crewmember had to be drunk again to say something so ridiculous- but Usopp knew deep in his heart that the poor man was just wasting his breath. He wondered if this was what his crew felt like when he used to go into such deep denial...

“But- it looks like it’s moving…”

Just remembering how terrified he’d been when they first saw Laboon at the Twin Capes was enough evidence to prove to the sniper that sometimes, yes- there were indeed monsters that could be mistaken for mountains. Usopp could only pray that this one turned out to be half as friendly as Laboon had been.

Luffy’s eyes were practically sparkling with the need for adventure at this point, and Law watched with an indulgent smile as the straw-hatted captain jumped to his feet and eagerly started pumping his fists, “If it’s a mountain that moves, let’s go! It’ll be fun- oof!”

Now, without Nami here to beat some semblance of sense into Luffy (and Law now forever corrupted by his relationship bias) this left Usopp to be the voice of reason. Both Robin and Franky enjoyed the adventures that Luffy’s… _enthusiasm_ caused, and so Usopp knew that it would be pointless to expect any help from them, and as for Zoro- well, he was a lost cause entirely.

And so Usopp acted upon his solemn duty, and pinned Luffy against his side in an attempt to get the idiot’s attention before he ordered the Barto Club to make a detour.

“Now look here Luffy- we don’t have time for moving mountains! We need to get out of this foggy maze as soon as possible and find Zou! Everyone is waiting for us, and I personally want to make it home to Sunny before this _death trap_ hits a reef and we capsize!” At this point Usopp was literally trying to shake his desperation into his Captain, because he was just so _done_ with this ship.

He was done with these fanboys who had _no navigator_ , done with this ship that was constantly falling into peril, and he was **done** with stressing over the fact that he was out of pop greens and couldn’t replenish them because _his plants were on the Sunny!_

Usopp was irritated to see that his desperate speech had not affected Luffy in the slightest, and so the sniper took a deep breath and prayed for the patience to deal with his stubborn captain. Usopp had not wanted to use his trump card, but it seemed that he had no choice if he wanted them to actually _get_ to Zou.

“And what about Law?”

Luffy’s eyes narrowed, and it was a sight that made warning bells go off in Usopp’s ears- but the sniper plowed on, because he knew that he needed to say this in order to convince his Captain. He tried to ignore the feeling of Law’s eyes on the back of his neck, even as his voice lowered so that no one could overhear him, “He hasn’t seen his crew in months, or maybe even a whole year! Are you going to make him wait even longer just to satisfy your own selfish curiosity?”

The suspicious look on Luffy’s face broke instantly, and his eyes went wide and vulnerable when he realized just what his sniper was insinuating. Usopp felt a little guilty when he saw how upset his words had made Luffy, but he did not regret saying them. He had not said anything that he didn’t honestly think, and he knew that his captain could get a little dense whenever he sensed an adventure on the horizon.

That was what Usopp and Nami were there for- they reminded their Captain of the things that he often forgot or ignored. They reminded him that there was a world outside of adventures and beating the bad guy, and that sometimes they needed to be practical. Even if it wasn't a responsibility that they particularly enjoyed, Nami and Usopp still fulfilled it because they really did love their Captain and their crew, and they would do everything in their power to protect them.

Usopp blinked in surprise when Law suddenly cut between him and Luffy, his eyes cold as he pulled Luffy into a hug. Law had not liked the look on Luffy’s face when their eyes met over Usopp’s shoulder. He had not liked it _at all._

“Torao, I’m so sorry!” Luffy clutched at the back of Law’s shirt, and whispered fevered apologies and attempted explanations into Law’s chest, “I didn’t think- I forgot, _I’m so sorry Torao_ you must miss them so much, and I was being so _selfish-_ ”

“There’s nothing to forgive Luffy-ya, it’s okay. You did nothing wrong.” Law took a deep breath and ran soothing hands up and down Luffy’s back even as his unnerving eyes glared at Usopp. They flickered behind him for a moment, and then that creepy _smile_ split across his face, and Usopp found himself shivering because that was the look of **death-**

“Thank you for your concern God, but I have everything under control.”

And just like that, Usopp’s weariness disappeared and he found himself blushing. Gold eyes watched him smile and sheepishly rub his neck, “Did you just call me ‘God’?” Usopp looked so happy, and Law watched with merciless eyes as a dark shadow began to creep closer behind the oblivious man, “I’m flattered! I’m a man worth 200 million and I’m flattered!”

The sniper laughed gently, practically wiggling in his happiness as Franky looked down at him and cracked his knuckles menacingly.

“Oh, I’m sure that even the Marine Admirals are aware of you now.”

Law took a petty and vindictive pleasure in seeing how fast Usopp paled at his words, and he was therefore content to leave him in Franky’s capable hands as he took on the job of consoling the upset pirate captain in his arms.

“Hey Luffy-ya?”

Luffy was hiding his face in Law’s shirt, and Torao’s smile was soft as he wrapped his arms around Luffy and rested his chin on his head.

Law began humming as he waited for Luffy to respond, and after a moment or two, Luffy made a questioning noise. Law’s smile widened, “Do you remember when I asked you to become my ally?”

Luffy let out a disbelieving snort, “Of course I do Torao, but what does that have to do with anything?”

Law simply laughed, and hugged Luffy closer to him, “Your navigator said that I was crazy. She kept going on and on about how what I was saying was absurd and how you shouldn’t listen to what I had to say. I proposed a suicidal plan to take down a Yonko, and all you asked me was ‘ ** _which one’!”_ **

Luffy grumbled something about how that was the most important part, and then he finally looked up in order to say, “You gave me the perfect gift that day Torao! A chance to take down a Yonko, and an excuse to kick a Warlord’s ass! How Torao could ever think that he isn’t the best, I’ll never know…”

Law shook his head in fond exasperation and playfully ruffled Luffy’s hair, which had the straw-hatted pirate humming in contentment, “Be that as it may, it seems that I may have another present for you Luffy-ya.”

Luffy stiffened, and then stared up at Law with stars in his eyes, “Another- Another present Torao?!”

Law’s eyes were half-lidded and seductive as he leaned down to whisper into Luffy’s ear, “Of course I do Luffy-ya. You know just how much I _love_ surprising you.”

Luffy squealed and he probably would have started jumping up and down if Law’s arms had not been holding him down.

Law heard Franky yelling in the background for the Barto Club to take in the sails because a sudden headwind had hit their ship, and he grinned because that meant that they were almost there.

“What is it, what is it, what is it….”

Law threw back his head and laughed at Luffy’s childish enthusiasm, and delayed responding much to Luffy’s annoyance, “I’ve heard that Zou blocks out invaders with a dense fog and an adverse current...”

Luffy whined at his stalling, and pouted up at Torao with puppy eyes that put any cute animal to shame, “What’s my present, what is it, Torao stop taking so long!”

Law’s eyes flickered behind the straw-hatted pirate, and he reached down to rest his hands on Luffy’s shoulders.

“W-what is that thing?!”

“It’s strange, what the fuck-”

“Let’s turn around and run, before it sees us!”

Bartolomew and the rest of his crewmates were exclaiming their shock at the sight in front of them, and as Luffy listened to their shouting, his body began to tense with pure anticipation.

“Torao-”

Torao glanced around at everyone who was staring up at the sight in front of them with unbelieving eyes, and raised his voice so that they could all hear him.

“This is it everyone! This is Zou.”

Law gave Luffy a cheeky grin, and then slowly turned him around so that he could see the surprise that Torao had in store for him.

Now, Luffy had seen a lot of strange things on his journey to become the Pirate King. He had seen a whale that they had mistaken for a mountain, he had visited a kingdom in the sky, he had broken into and out of Impel Down, and even battled a real dragon on Punk Hazard.

But even after seeing all of these wondrous, these _impossible_ things, Luffy still found himself slack jawed at the raw **power** of what he saw in front of him. Luffy’s eyes went up and up and _up_ , and for the first time in his life- Luffy actually felt small.

His eyes eagerly danced over every detail that he could see through the gloom, and he was amazed at the fact that just this creature's _leg_ was big enough to destroy a whole island with a single stomp.

He counted four other legs and then he made out a trunk and two tusks in the gloom, and Luffy reached back to eagerly grab Law’s hand, “B-But Torao! This is an _elephant!”_

Law’s smile was soft when Luffy turned back to look at him with pure adoration in his eyes. Law nodded his agreement, “Yes. Zou is the name of a place that flourishes on the back of that massive elephant.”

One of Bartolomew’s crewmates came closer, intense curiosity on his face, “You mean it’s- it’s _alive?_ ”

Law gave the man a slight nod, and then turned his own impressed gaze up towards the top of the giant animal, where he could just barely make out the signs of a building on it’s back.

“It keeps moving so it never stays at a single location. It’s a phantom island, or rather, it is not an island at all and so a Log Pose will never bring you here.”

Bartolomew’s crewmates looked back and forth between the elephant and Law, and they suddenly had a whole new appreciation for the surgeon’s foresight in sending his crew here first so that he could find the island by using their Vivre card. Unbeknownst to Law, he had just earned the respect of many members of the Barto Club, several of whom silently vowed to become his devoted fans.

But Law noticed none of this because he was too busy staring up at the giant wonder of a creature that was Zou, and then smiling down at the pirate captain who had given him more than he could ever repay.

Kin’emon and Kanjuro both murmured a few things between each other, and then Kanjuro reluctantly invaded their personal bubble.

“I’ve heard that there is a tribe on Zou that hates humans… is that true?”

Law took a deep breath, and reluctantly turned his attention back to the matters at hand. There was a lot that needed to be done, first of which was finding out where the Sunny was ported, and after that they would have to make their way onto the elephant in order to find his own crew.

Law began to fill everyone in on what he knew about Zou, which regrettably wasn’t much, “Yes. It’s called the Mink tribe, and they have held off humans and defended Zou for around 1000 years.”

Luffy’s eyes went wide with wonder, and he squeezed Law’s hand in excitement, “1000 years?! _On the back of an elephant?!”_

Luffy turned to look at Robin with his gobsmacked expression, “Does that mean that this elephant has been alive for _1000_ years?”

Robin looked happy as she stared up at the giant elephant, and her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm at the thought of expanding her knowledge on a new foreign culture. “It just might be Luffy, it just might be.”

Luffy squealed, and climbed onto Law like an energetic monkey, “Torao is the _best!”_

 

The moment that Luffy’s eyes caught sight of the Sunny, was the moment that Luffy felt as if he was finally _home_. A note of tension that he had not even noticed was finally allowed to relax, and even the sound of Bartolomew howling his adoration couldn’t distract him from his moment of silent happiness.

Luffy grinned, and he was waving and shouting before he register anything else, though Luffy couldn’t help but shoot Zoro a knowing grin before shouting,

“Sanji!”

Zoro tensed beside him, and even as Luffy called out for Nami, Chopper, and Brook, Zoro couldn’t help but feel agitated at the look that Luffy had given him.

When Bartolomew went on all fours and literally started howling at the Sunny like a dog in heat, Zoro turned and pretended that the green haired man was the cause of all his agitation, “Shut up!”

Luffy’s smile slowly faded when there was no response from the Sunny. He listened absently to Franky and Robin’s quiet commentary, and while he was glad that his nakama seemed to have made it away from Big Mom without too much of a struggle, this silence was worrying him. It had been too long since he had last seen that they were fine with his own eyes, and so without ceremony, he stretched out his arm and launched himself onto his ship.

Luffy’s shoulders relaxed the moment his feet landed on Sunny’s grass, and even though Luffy’s search of the ship revealed nothing but empty rooms, Luffy couldn’t bring himself to feel too worried. After all, that just meant that his nakama were already on Zou, and if they could scale that massive elephant, then they were probably fine.

At least, that was what Luffy was hoping for.

Luffy made his way back on deck and was prepared to stretch his arm out in order to return to his friends, but then the ship suddenly lurched. Luffy turned and watched with wide eyes as the leg that the Sunny was tied to began to move.

The chain attached to the Sunny pulled taught, and everything shook as a giant wave erupted from the moving leg and swept the Going Luffy-Senpai away in a turbulent swirl of water. Luffy’s smile was huge when he found himself falling back against the kitchen door, but even over the monstrous roar of the elephant and rushing water, Luffy could just make out Law’s worried shouting.

“LUFFY!”

Another huge wave crashed into the side of the Sunny, and all Luffy could do was throw back his head and laugh, because-

“THIS IS _AMAZING_ TORAO!”

He continued to laugh out his enjoyment as Bartolomew used his Barrier ability to form a link between the two ships so that they wouldn’t get separated in all the madness, and all the while Law was gripping the railing of the Going Luffy-Senpai and yelling bloody murder at Luffy for being so carefree, and

“ **Why are you enjoying this,** you sick bastard! WHEN THIS LEG STOPS MOVING I AM GOING TO STRANGLE COMMON SENSE INTO YOUR SKULL!”

Luffy couldn’t stop laughing even when Law began screaming out promises to disembowel him, because, “Torao is so cute when he’s worried~”

Law snarled at the cooing pirate, and Zoro looked away from both of them with his face slightly green. When he began muttering about feeling nauseous, no one had to know that it had nothing to do with the rough waves.

Luckily the leg settled moments later, and Bartolomew fell to his knees in relief because he no longer had to concentrate so hard on not letting his barrier separate from one of the ships. He panted for air, but even as he relaxed, his crewmembers shouted that the other leg was moving, and that this one would move again soon!

With a heave of effort, Bartolomew turned to warn his idols, turned to tell them to hurry across his barrier while it was still safe, but Bartolomew found his eyes boggling out of his head because his idols were already halfway across his staircase and Law was at the lead with a demonic look on his face.

Luffy smiled at the sight of Law storming his way towards him, and he held out his arms as if awaiting a hug. Luffy’s smile didn’t falter even when Law pulled him into a hug tight enough to rival an anaconda- in fact, Luffy found himself humming happily at Law’s clingy hold, and snuggling into the other man’s arms even as he murmured darkly about cutting open his stomach and ripping out his intestines with his bare hands.

“It’s really cute that you talk about ripping out my organs when you’re anxious~”

Law glared down at him and Luffy beamed up at the murderous look on the surgeon's face, because he knew in his heart that Law would never follow up on a single one of those threats.

Probably.

“Shut up Mugiwara-ya.”

Luffy wisely hid his grin in Law’s shirt because Law was not in the mood for his teasing, and Luffy figured that it would be wise to never to push the man whenever he called him Mugiwara. No matter how cute Luffy thought he was being.

“Luffy, is anyone on the ship?” Usopp asked as he glanced around the empty deck, and Luffy looked at him and shook his head. Law took a moment to glance around them with calculating eyes before he leaned down to rest his chin on Luffy’s head, “I guess they all made a landfall, these leg movements are not exactly convenient are they?”

Luffy tilted his head back and grinned up at Law, “Nope, but they are fun!”

Law’s lips twitched into a small smile as if he couldn’t help himself, and Luffy silently cheered at the sight.

Franky was wandering around the edges of the Sunny and attempting to assess the damage even as his hands itched for his tools- but now was, unfortunately, not the time or place for maintenance.

He reluctantly turned away from the damaged sides, and took in a fortifying breath, “We should catch up to them as quickly as possible.” He gave Law an acknowledging nod, “I’m sure Torao-kun is ready to see his crew again too.”

Luffy made an agreeing noise, and then began to bounce on the tips of his toes, “Let's get going! I can’t wait to meet your crew Torao!” Luffy gave Law an excited smile, and the surgeon could only let out a fond sigh as he released his hold on Luffy and stepped back in order to assess the leg of the elephant and just how high it truly was. He couldn’t even see the animal’s tail.

“How we can all reach the top is the real problem… I could probably shamble both Luffy and myself up there, but I’m not too fond of the idea of using that much energy when we could be walking into enemy territory.”

Luffy’s smile was gone in an instant, and before he could finish his thought, Luffy was shaking his head with a determined look on his face, “We are not going to do that Torao, we’ll find a different way.”

Luffy reached down and gripped Law’s hand tightly, and Law shot an irritated look at Zoro because the swordsman just _had_ to tell his Captain about how he had overexerted himself the other day. Zoro was conveniently looking at the clouds and ignoring his glare.

“We could always just scale the thing with our bare hands-”

Usopp slapped Zoro’s back with a dangerous look on his face, **“NO.”**

Zoro huffed and murmured that none of them ever knew how to have any fun, and Usopp hissed something unintelligible even as Luffy began looking at the animal's leg with a considering expression. After all, it couldn’t be any harder than scaling the sheer face of Drum Island’s mountain-

“We have devil-fruit users Zoro-ya, and if one of us fell then that could lead to certain death.” Law shook his head as he sighed, and Usopp gave Law a grateful look as the surgeon began pacing and bouncing off ideas with Robin.

“Scaling the elephant by hand has potential if we had a rope connecting all of us and the strongest members of our party went first, especially with the addition of our swords, but using the swords to create handholds on the elephant runs the potential of irritating it to the point where it tries to kill us....”

Robin nodded and made an agreeing noise, “I could make a ladder out of my arms, but that still runs the potential of one of us falling whenever the leg moves…”

Law growled irritably, but it was surprisingly Kanjuro who stepped forward and offered a solution to their problem.

“I could draw something to take us to the top.”

Usopp made an excited noise and eagerly told everyone about how Kanjuro had painted a bird to ride out of the garbage shoot on Dressrosa.

Luffy’s eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing such a cool devil fruit ability, and Law was nodding his head absently. “That could work. If we all ride the same animal then I would be close enough to help anyone who falls off with my **Room**.”

Robin giggled into her hand, “And I’m sure Luffy will be more then happy to catch _you_ , if you're the one falling Torao-kun.”

Law sputtered, and his cheeks flushed at Luffy’s enthusiastic agreement. Then Luffy launched himself onto Law’s back and climbed until his legs were around his shoulders and he was grinning upside down at the mortified Law.

Zoro sighed, and walked back towards the barrier stairs in order to run over them just before the leg began to move again, much to the confused happiness of the Barto Club. After the waves calmed once again, Zoro approached Bartolomew with a tight smile on his face, “You mentioned that you would leave us some food?”

Bartolomew’s eyes were already full of hearts at the sight of Zoro’s grin (no matter how strained it was), and the thought of being able to help his idols even more just about had him in tears.

“Of course Zoro-senpai!”

Zoro’s smile relaxed, and soon he was outside the food storage, and trying to convince the the Barto Club that they didn't need _all_ of the food- he wasn't heartless after all, and if the Barto Club got lost without a navigator or food, the the likelihood of them dying of starvation was quite high. No one deserved that, especially not people who were trying their hardest to help them.

Though he didn't protest when they emptied out their booze storage, because Zoro wasn’t a saint.

After around a dozen runs across the barrier stairs the Sunny was well stocked in food and booze, and Usopp was busy organizing things into packs so that everyone had an emergency stash of clean water and food in case they ran into problems on Zou.

Bartolomew reluctantly released his barrier and tearfully shouted his laments and goodbyes along with the rest of his crew just before the leg moved and whisked the Going Luffy-Senpai out of their line of sight. No one was particularly sad to see them go, though Luffy was nice enough to comment that they had at the very least been entertaining.

Everyone was inclined to agree, but the sudden sense of being _home_ had everyone save the samurai relaxing. Even Law felt his shoulders unwind, because while the Sunny was not his Submarine, it was still a place where he felt safe.

“Ready to go Torao?” Luffy had just put on a bulging red backpack that seemed too big for him, and he was practically skipping as he made his way to Law’s side while watching Kanjuro paint on the deck.

Law nodded absently, but he did not take his critical eyes off of the creature that Kanjuro was putting so much effort into making. His eyebrows furrowed, and he began to feel a niggle of doubt in the back of his mind.

“Is it a snake?”

“No it's a lizard, look at its legs.”

When Law was first told about Kanjuro’s devil fruit ability, he had felt suitably impressed. His crew mate Penguin loved to sketch in his free time, and his drawings were so lifelike and incredibly detailed that Law immediately saw the potential of such a power. Weapons, animals, _food_ \- the sky was the limit with what this ability could produce, and it was because of these high expectations that Law found himself feeling almost insulted when he watched Kanjuro paint what he later found out was a _dragon._

Law had never seen a more pathetic looking creature in his life, and he could only silently lament that such a horrible artist had ended up with this ability. Penguin would be in tears just looking at this _monstrosity_.

And another thing-

“Why didn’t you give him wings?”

After all, Usopp had told them of how Kanjuro had painted a bird with the ability to fly (no matter how horrible the drawing must have been, it had at least been able to still _function_ _)_.

But then Usopp began looking a little green when he took in the height that such a creature would have to fly, and interjected morosely, “The poor thing would probably lose steam halfway up…”

Law did a double take at the shaking ‘dragon’ in front of him, and pictured it with a pair of malformed wings…

Yeah, it would probably KO about halfway to the top.

Luffy linked their arms together, and then looked up at Torao with a smile that was _dangerous,_ because it had the ability to convince Law to do _stupid_ things.

“Come on Torao, it’ll be fun!”

Robin hid the blush on her face behind her hand as she giggled at the creature who was wobbling on its hind legs. Franky silently slipped off his sunglasses and declared what they were all silently thinking.

“We are going to die.”

Deciding where everyone was going to sit, was actually more difficult than they had thought it would be.

Luffy was easy of course- he was the first one on the dragon and no one stopped him, because not only was he the lightest member of the crew baring Robin, but everyone also knew that he would complain nonstop if they didn’t allow him to sit upfront. No, the trouble came after that- because Luffy practically threw a fit when Law said that he was going sit in the back.

Luffy was having none of that, and he argued and outright demanded that Law sit behind him, and pouted when Zoro took that place instead.

“You’ll be catching those upfront who fall, and I’ll be catching anyone near the back who falls, we already talked this through Luffy-ya.”

Logic didn't make Luffy feel any better, and he sulked for a full five minutes before finally pushing away his disappointment when the dragon started to climb. Their new adventure began with Zoro sighing at his Captain’s childish behavior even as he found himself eagerly glancing up the elephant to where Zou and the rest of their nakama were waiting for them. Usopp’s face was pale with fright and he had a death grip on the dragon’s saddle because he just _knew_ that if any of them were going to fall he’d be the one least likely to be able to save himself.

As for Law, on the outside he seemed calm, but Robin knew better. She teased him mercilessly as she talked about all of the ways that the situation could go wrong. Franky silently watched her torment him with images of blood and gore, and whistled, “Robin stop being so cruel, you're breaking his heart.”

Robin smiled gently, “Oh, I’m sure Torao-kun is just fine.”

Law clicked his tongue irritably and glared at her before turning his gaze downwards toward the steadily increasing drop behind them, “We should be about halfway there…”

Luffy turned to give him a big smile and then patted the dragon on the head to encourage it, “Did you hear that! We’re already halfway there! Keep it up Dragon, you're doing great!”

The dragon gave a pathetic “Ryu…” and continued to climb. For a moment, Law actually allowed himself to relax- because this insane plan seemed to actually be working.

And then of course it just had to fail. The dragon lost its grip, and then suddenly they were falling and Law’s eyes widened even as he prepared to make a **Room** because-

Usopp was screaming as he clung to a startled Zoro and cried terrified tears, and Franky’s hand reached over Law to lock around Robin as he prepared to protect her should they hit the water. Only Luffy remained somewhat calm, and he shouted words of encouragement to the dragon until they finally started to slow down. They finally came to a gentle stop about a meter away from the ocean, and Law let out the breath he had been holding and relaxed his hand.

“That scared the crap out of me, holy shit.”

There were murmurs of agreement as everyone caught their breath, and Usopp looked up at the dragon’s head with stars in his eyes, “Attaboy dragon- No, your name is Ryunosuke from now on, our friend Ryunosuke!”

Zoro glared at the sniper as he continued to claw at the hands fisted around his waistband, “Alright, we get it, now _let go of me!”_

The dragon made a happy noise at Usopp’s words, and seemed pleased with the acknowledgement that they were finally giving him, but Law couldn't help but stare at the creature’s shaking arms with resignation on his face.

Kin’emon looked equally nervous, and not at all reassured by Kanjuro’s grin, “Are- are you sure this dragon is okay?”

“Of course!” Kanjuro laughed and waved Kin’emon’s worries away like he was batting away a fly, “Can you hear yourself? You just saw him hold on, didn’t you!” Kanjuro laughed without a care in the world, pride glowing on his face. Law’s expression was hidden in the shadow of his hat.

Luffy patted the dragon on the top of its head, as innocent and trusting as he was, “See- you can do it Ryunosuke! Let’s go!” Luffy cheered on the dragon happily, and the dragon gave a small smile in return, “Ryu!”

“We’re back to where we started though.”

And just like that, everyone froze. Ryunosuke's arms began shaking even more than before, and the dragon looked like it wanted to cry, “Ryu…”

Luffy turned his head around and huffed at Torao with an irritated look on his face, “Torao! Stop being so negative!”

“I’m just being realistic.”

“Don’t make me spank you when we get to the top Torao!”

Law opened his mouth to retort, but when he registered what Luffy had said, his entire brain shut down. His face when beet red.

Luffy smirked at him, and Law realized that he wasn’t the only one blushing at Luffy’s brazen threat, “The-The FUCK Mugiwara-ya?!”

Luffy threw back his head and laughed without a drop of remorse, “Let’s go Ryunosuke! Onwards!”

“Don’t think I’m going to forget what just came out of your mouth Mugiwara-ya!”

Zoro turned and gave him a wicked smile, “Oh? I never would have thought that you were into that sort of thing.”

Law sputtered, his face as red as a tomato as he avoided Zoro’s darkly amused eyes, “It-it’s not like that- _I’m going to remove that basterd’s stomach until he begs for forgiveness that fucking-_ ”

Luffy laughed at his muttered threats, pretending that he wasn’t able hear any of them, though Luffy couldn’t resist teasing him one last time, “If you wanted me to spank you so bad-”

**“You’re a dead man if you finish that sentence, Mugiwara-ya.”**

 

The beginning of their second climb was held in a comfortable silence. Robin was humming, Zoro was yawning, and Law was brooding as his thoughts circled around how he was going to make Luffy regret ever threatening him like that _in front of people_.

Usopp and Luffy continued to occasionally yell encouragement to Ryunosuke in hopes of keeping his battle spirit alive or some other such nonsense, but other then that, everyone seemed content to occupy themselves. Everyone was relaxed and comfortable, which made the next complication all the more nerve racking.

This time, it was in the form of a falling projectile.

“Look out- duck!”

Luffy’s warning had everyone acting immediately on instinct, but when Law turned to make sure that Franky and the samurai had also avoided the projectile, his eyes bulged when both Kin’emon and Kanjuro were hit point blank and thrown off the dragon, “Fuck!”

The people in the back were _his_ responsibility, he was supposed to **_protect_ ** them- but Kanjuro and Kin’emon were already out of range-

“TORAO!"

Law unhooked himself from the saddle of the dragon without any further thought, and then proceeded to jump out of his seat without hesitating. Kanjuro and Kin’emon were already out of eyesight, and Law soon joined them. Eerily however, they could still hear their terrified screams.

“Hey- HEY! Are you alright?! _Torao!”_

Silence was Luffy’s answer, and Luffy shifted uneasily. With each passing second, he looked closer and closer to jumping off himself. Usopp quickly began shouting in Luffy’s place, and Zoro eyed his captain wearily as he prepared himself to grab Luffy before he could do anything stupid.

“Kanjuro! Kin’emon! Torao! Can you hear us- answer us! Are you okay?!”

Silence.

Franky pushed his sunglasses up and tried to peer through the clouds in vain, “Did they fall into the water?”

Luffy was done. He stood up, and ignored Zoro’s punishing hold on his wrist, “We are going to save them.”

It was not a request.

But before anything drastic could happen, they finally heard an answer, “Luffy-donno! We’re okay! Law-donno saved us!”

Luffy’s tense body relaxed, and Usopp’s body swayed like a wet noodle he was so relieved, “That’s great- they’re alive. They’re alive”

“Go on ahead! We’ll catch up soon!”

Zoro pulled Luffy back down into a sitting position, but even though Luffy didn’t resist him, his expression was anything but happy.

“What the hell is he talking about- No way. We’re going back down.”

Zoro nodded, and looked past Luffy so that he could meet Ryunosuke's eye, “Hey Dragon- head back down!”

A tear fell down the dragon’s face at the order, but then a look of stubborn determination came across its pathetic face.

“Ryu.”

The dragon continued to climb upward.

Everyone was startled at the dragon’s sudden rebellion, and Usopp was quick to repeat the order before Luffy could, “Ryunosuke! Head back… down...” Usopp suddenly had a clear view of the exhaustion on Ryunosuke's face, and he didn’t have the heart to yell at him anymore.

_How can we tell this poor guy to go back…_

This was his second time climbing this huge elephant, how could they demand he do it a third time? All of the strawhats had a similar look of guilt on their faces when they realized just what they were demanding of the poor creature.

How could they-

“Oi.”

Everyone’s eyes darted to Luffy with disbelief clear on their faces, and everyone felt uneasy when they saw the look on Luffy’s face because-

Luffy’s eyes were dilated and _frightening_ \- his face was demonic in the shadow of his hat as he glared down at the dragon with enough pressure to make the poor creature tremble. 

“Didn’t you hear them? Go. Back. **Down.** ”

“Luffy-”

“He’s already climbed up here twice-”

“What’s wrong with-”

Luffy's turned his piercing stare onto them, and they fell quiet. Zoro narrowed his eye at his captain, and glared right back, “You’re being ridiculous Luffy.”

Usopp tugged urgently at Zoro’s waistband in hopes of stopping him, his head shaking back and forth as he prayed that this argument wouldn't end with them all falling to their deaths.

“Zoro-”

“No- you’re being ridiculous and we all know it!” Zoro scoffed, his expression unimpressed, and maybe even a bit disgusted, “You’re acting like Law is some damsel in a fucking fairy tale- the man can take care of himself!”

Luffy snarled right back at his first mate, “I’m not stupid! Of course I know that Torao can handle himself-”

“Then why are you acting like this?! First you throw a fit when Law doesn’t want to sit behind you, and now you're being an asshole to the dragon who is obviously past his limit! You are not acting like my fucking Captain, and I want to know why!”

“Because I can’t leave him alone again!”

Zoro reared back, startled, and Luffy turned his back to him. Luffy was shaking, and his voice went soft.

“I know that Torao is strong. I _know_ that I shouldn’t be worried, but I can’t help it. I can’t- if something happened to him- I wouldn't be able  _deal with it_ , if I could have prevented it…”

Luffy suddenly felt a hand grabbing his own comfortingly, and looked down to see one of Robin’s arms sprouting from Ryunosuke's side. He turned and met Robin’s soulful blue eyes with his own, and Robin’s eyes softened at the guilt she saw on his face.

“It’s okay Luffy, Torao-kun is safe. We’re all safe.” Robin smiled a small smile, “We need to continue on Luffy- we’ll protect them by making sure that the country is safe for them, okay?” Robin’s voice was soft and encouraging, and Luffy felt his resolve crack.

He swallowed thickly and turned away from her, jerkily nodding his head in agreement. Ryunosuke saw the movement, and let out a sigh of pure _relief_ before continuing on his way up the elephant.

The climb was long and tedious, and before they knew it, the sun was setting. Luffy had remained uncharacteristically quiet, and his crewmembers were similarly silent as they contemplated the near crazed look that they had seen on their captain’s face.

They felt uncomfortable when they recalled his quiet words, and then they realized that their captain wasn’t the only one feeling guilty at the moment.

Zoro sighed, and ran an agitated hand through his hair as he stared up at the stars. It was truly a beautiful sight, and Zoro wished that he could have appreciated it more- but all it served to do was remind him of things better off forgotten.

“Luffy.”

His captain hummed quietly, cracking his knuckles together just so that he could do something with his hands.

“You really love him, don’t you?”

Luffy blinked, startled at the question, and then turned his head to smile at Zoro.

“Yeah. I really do.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you guys so much for your comments, this chapter was a lot harder to write then I anticipated, and it was because of all of your supporting words that I was able to get out of my writing funk! 
> 
> I came to realize recently why I like writing this series so much. I like writing about all these in-between moments that we don't see in the anime/manga. The nights on board the Going Luffy-Senpai for example, or what happened during the long climb up Zou. 
> 
> And while I know that this chapter isn't perfect, I still hope you guys can enjoy the build up that I'm writing because Zou IS going to be fun, and full of feels. 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts- I love hearing from you! And I especially hope to hear what you thought of my portrayal of Luffy this chapter.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my newest segment, and I can't wait to continue writing for you guys! :D  
> See you next chapter! :)


	2. I'm a Wreck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since Luffy had crashed into his life, and ripped his plans to shreds with that stupidly endearing smile… Law had pointedly not thought about the future.  
> Right now… Right now, everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I'm so sorry. For the unplanned hiatus.  
>  This chapter is shorter then I'd like it to be, especially after the long wait I put you guys through. But at the end of the day, I decided that posting a chapter, even if its short, is better then not posting anything at all.  
> Still... despite it's flaws, I hope you like it.

Under the light of the dawning sun, Usopp finally saw an ending in sight.

Franky was sleepily wiping his eyes and yawning when he too, saw this miracle, “What- isn’t that the top?!”

“It is! It really is!”

Usopp was so excited that he started yelling out encouragement to Ryunosuke without thinking, and Luffy was startled awake.

“The top?!” Luffy’s body had already been swaying unsteadily, and when he suddenly jerked awake, he found himself falling backwards. Zoro’s eye widened in alarm when he noticed that Luffy wasn’t buckled into place. Wait, after he stood up yesterday did he never-

“Fuck! You idiot-!”

And just like that, Luffy fell over his head and out of his reach before he could fully register what had happened. Usopp was luckily fast enough to grab Luffy’s backpack in all the confusion.

“Damn that was close.” Usopp was panting from the sudden scare that they had had, and his expression was laced with guilt because he knew that he was the cause of it, “Sorry Luffy, I shouldn’t have-”

That’s when everyone heard the screaming.

Everyone’s eyes darted to the top of the huge backpack, and they were alarmed when they couldn’t see any part of their captain. They swerved to look behind them, and what they saw made their hearts skip a beat.

Luffy was falling.

“Shit- Luffy! Stretch! Do something!” Usopp began frantically tearing into the backpack in his hands for a rope even as Robin’s arms began sprouting at an astonishing rate- but neither of them was fast enough.

Luffy rapidly fell through the clouds and out of their eyesight, and Zoro began to instinctively undo the strap around his waist because Luffy couldn’t swim-

“No Zoro! You won’t survive a fall from this height!”

Robin’s blue eyes were wide with worry and concentration as she tried to speed up her arm ladder- if Luffy stretched he could grab onto her hand-

But then everyone paused in their frantic motions, and their eyes went wide in disbelief when they noticed the almost invisible blue sphere that had appeared.

“Wait-”

“Did you guys see that?!”

It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, and Zoro’s eye narrowed as he tried to identify a sound, any sound, over the rush of the wind in his ears.

“Oi-”

_“Torao!”_

Luffy’s happy shout had everyone letting out identical sighs of relief. Robin smiled, and her ladder disappeared in a burst of flower petals, “I didn’t think that they would be able to catch up with us until we reached the top.”

“... Maybe Luffy fell further than we thought?”

Zoro clucked his tongue, his eye already focused on the path in front of them, “It doesn’t matter. Luffy is safe, and now we should concentrate on what lies ahead. Who knows what’s waiting for us up there.”

 

**~ The Thousand Sunny~**

 

“Oi, you’re going outside the lines again.”

Kanjuro’s eyebrow twitched, and the grip around his brush tightened. He took in a deep breath, and tried to ignore the cold shiver that was running down his spine.

“S-sorry Law-donno. I’ll try to be more careful.” When Law’s heavy glare softened, Kanjuro let out a relieved sigh, and then continued to painstakingly trace the drawing that Law had made on the deck of the Thousand Sunny.

Law turned away from the samurai, and took off his hat in order to run an anxious hand through his. The sun was already beginning to set, and Law eyed it’s progress with frustration clear on his face.

When they had landed on the Thousand Sunny, the first thing out of Law’s mouth was the question of how the samurai had gotten knocked off the dragon in the first place. After all, they should have been strapped into place- a falling monkey of all things should have simply maimed their faces. The two warriors had hesitated in answering with clear guilt on their faces, but Kin’emon eventually relented under Law’s demanding glare.

“We… might have kept our straps a _bit_ loose because our kimonos might be a _bit_ bulky- but we never thought that it would cause such a problem!”

The silence that had followed this explanation, had terrified Kin’emon to his very core. He still couldn’t help but wonder just how close he had been to being chopped up again.

But in the end, all Law did was let out a sigh and a demand that they do no such thing again- comfort be damned. The demonic glint in his golden eyes had the two samurai quickly agreeing, and after a moment or two of contemplation, Law had disappeared into Chopper’s workshop and returned with a pencil.

Law had spent over a decade studying and experimenting with medicine, and as a result he kept an obsessive log of notes- most of which included graphic images for later reference. The image of an animal was not exactly a diagram of the tissue layers in a person’s heart, but Law knew for a fact that whatever he ended up drawing would probably be better than anything Kanjuro could come up with.

“I’m going to draw an animal on the deck, and you,” Law had pointed at a dubious Kanjuro, “are going to trace it. This way you are still drawing the creature, but we don't have to rely on your… _artistic_ skills.” Kanjuro had sputtered in indignation, and Kin’emon had sweatdropped in the background before covering his face with his hands. Why he had never thought of such a solution before?

“I’m no artist myself, but I should be decent enough for this.”

In the end Kanjuro reluctantly agreed, though he strongly suggested that Law draw a cat- because they apparently had superior climbing skills. Law agreed to this compromise easily enough, and the end result was a simple outline of what Law claimed was a leopard. It had no spots, and the face was not particularly detailed, but Law had to admit that he was pretty proud of what he accomplished. And he was also correct in thinking that what he drew was far superior to what Kanjuro could come up with.

Because while he was painstakingly trying to make his drawing proportional, Kanjuro had stubbornly attempted to draw a similar cat across from him. His creation was now sitting on the masthead and shaking ridiculously, and Kanjuro was now sulkily tracing the image that Law had drawn.

“At least let me fix the eyes-”

“The eyes are perfectly fine you idiot!”

And so the day had passed, and just after the sun disappeared under the horizon, Kanjuro finished his drawing with a dramatic flourish he couldn’t help but make. As the leopard lifted itself off the deck with a growl that made Kanjuro proud, Kin’emon couldn’t help but nod his head in approval.

It was the most stable creation he had ever seen his friend create, and he found himself relaxing slightly at the thought of once again climbing the elephant. He was certain that this time they would make it to the top.

“Mmm!”

Both of the samurai glanced at the struggling monkey in the background, before quickly turning away and going back to ignoring him. The little monkey had made all sorts of racket when they had landed on the Thousand Sunny, much to the confusion of the two samurai. Wano had an alliance with the Minks, who were nothing if not loyal friends. That had made the monkey’s outright hostility towards them concerning.

But Law was quick to tire of the Monkey’s threats, and within five minutes, the terrified monkey was traumatized and shaking in a corner of the deck. He was also tied up, with a gag in his mouth for good measure.

The two samurai shuddered quietly as they eyed Law out of the corner of their eyes. The two of them had kept their alliance with the Minks a secret from the Strawhats and Law, but it wasn’t done out of maliciousness. It was simply because they had to be absolutely sure of their trust before revealing Momonosuke’s true status, and also their mission. Nothing mattered more to them, not even their lives; and even if the samurai trusted Luffy, they still couldn’t bring themselves to fully trust Law.

And from what they had witnessed these past few days, the two of them had suddenly become a package deal.

It still boggled Kin’emon’s mind, how Luffy-donno could fall in love with such a man. Luffy-donno was so bright, so _honorable_. He was genuinely a good person who helped those in need, just because he could. He was a man that Kin’emon had no trouble trusting.

Law-donno… was nothing like him. Kin’emon still respected Law very much, but it was a detached kind of respect that warriors often held for those stronger than them. Law was strong, Kin’emon had no trouble acknowledging this point. He was also a brilliant doctor thanks to his devil-fruit, which was another point Kin’emon would never argue against. However, Law-donno was a doctor who had honed his craft in order to harm those around him. He used his operating skills in battle, and gleefully experimented on humans just because he could.

He was a disgrace as a doctor, Kin’emon privately felt, though he would never dare voice his opinion outloud. Doctors were supposed to help people, were supposed to _want_ to help people. Doctors didn’t help maniacs experiment on children, just so that they further their own goals.

Doctors didn’t cut people up and leave their pieces all over an island ‘just to see what would happen’.

_I wonder if you will starve to death if your stomach isn’t connected to your mouth._

Kin’emon’s eyes went blank at the memory of Law’s detached voice, and a cold sweat broke out on his back as he recalled the feeling of his body being sliced apart. It hadn’t hurt. It had barely tickled, and then came the feeling of absolute **wrongness**.

Kanjuro gave him a worried look, but Kin’emon waved his worry aside. They had a mission to accomplish, and this wasn’t the time for personal grudges- even if Kin’emon still found himself cringing away every time Law reached for his sword.

“What do you think? Should we go ahead and start climbing, or wait until morning?”

Kin’emon kept his eyes on the leopard. The cat was watching them with it’s strangely intelligent eyes, seemingly indifferent to their conversation.

“I think we should wait until morning. Even if the drawing is good, finding footholds in the dark is not exactly easy.”

Kanjuro continued to glance at Kin’emon out of concern, even as he disagreed with him, “Cats have excellent night vision, and I think that we will save a lot of time if we start climbing right away! And the quicker we start climbing, the quicker will reunite with our comrades!”

The monkey let out a whine in the background, but everyone continued to ignore him.

Law hummed as he mulled over their options, and he occasionally glanced up the leg of the elephant with an unreadable look on his face.

His hands were fiddling with his sword.

Those- _unnatural demon, he’s a_ **_demon_ ** **-** yellow eyes pierced through the two of them when Law turned back to face them properly. His body language was domineering when he decided their fate, and both of the samurai knew that they could do nothing to change the man’s decision.

“We’ll start tonight, but we’ll pace ourselves to be safe.”

“Hai, Law-donno!”

 

Law was sitting in front of the samurai once again, only this time, he couldn’t help but feel unnerved at the feeling of having no support in front of him. Last time he was in the middle of the group, and so he had been surrounded and cushioned. Safe.

Now he was perpendicular to the ground, and if he shifted ever so slightly, he would find himself airborne. Not that he would die of course. He was fully confident in his abilities to maneuver to a safe location, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that Law was an open target. An easy target.

A fucking **easy target**.

Law’s over-analytical mind was working overdrive as it continued to process all the disadvantages that he currently had, and a disturbing amount of paranoia started writhing under his skin.

Law could maneuver in the air, but only for a limited amount of time- for all intents and purposes, he was bound to this seat. One wave of Fujitora’s hand, and he would be pulled directly into the ocean before he would be able to react.

What if a flying devil-fruit user attacked them? What if there were bird Minks? What if they caught sight of them, and started hurling projectiles down at them? Or **worse**? The clouds and the fog were blocking his field of vision.

… What would happen if he fell asleep?

The sheer vulnerability that he felt, made Law crave a distraction with an obsessive fierceness.

“ _We would all fall to our deaths, and probably be eaten by sea kings. I wonder what it feels like, being digested?_ ” Robin’s macabre predictions hadn’t been the most comforting, but at least they were a distraction.

And hearing Luffy’s voice- never wavering, always certain, encouraging, **safe**.

That had helped him more then Law would ever dare admit.

“This is going to be a long night, Law-donno. I can take the first watch if you like?” Kanjuro was sitting behind Law with the tied up monkey in his lap. He kept petting it on the head, oblivious to the irritation on its face.

Before Kanjuro could even finish his sentence, Law was shaking his head. He didn’t turn around to see Kanjuro’s expression, didn’t dare to. He kept his eyes obsessively in front of him, his body inhumanly tense as he kept watch for anything that dared attack him.

His fingers were gripping the hilt of his sword so tight that they were white.

“That isn’t necessary. I won’t be sleeping tonight, so you two should feel free to sleep if you like.”

He heard Kanjuro make a noise in the back of his throat, like he wanted to protest, but Law was certain even without turning around that Kin’emon had stopped him.

“Alright Law-donno. But let us know if you change your mind.”

“Hai, hai, I’ll do that. Now get some sleep. Who knows what's in store for us tomorrow?”

The two samurai went quiet after that, and a few hours later, Law began to hear Kanjuro snoring. Law didn’t doubt that Kin’emon was awake, and that was yet another reason why he couldn’t relax until they were at the top.

Attacks could come from in front or behind, after all.

 

The night passed by at a snail’s pace, and the area under Law’s eyes throbbed in a way that he was very familiar with. This past week had almost been dreamlike- being able to get a decent night's sleep for the first time in months had spoiled him.

And just like that, not for the first time that night, Law found his thoughts preoccupied with the rubber pirate Captain. They seemed to constantly circle back to him, no matter how hard he tried to ignore the ache he could feel in his chest. 

It had only been a few hours- he couldn't even last a few hours without missing that idiot. 

_This wasn’t healthy._

Law grimaced at the unwanted thought, and tried to ignore it as the sun peeked over the horizon.

Law had spent his whole life planning. Every move he made was carefully thought out with his endgame in mind. His endgame had been Dressrosa.

_“I was planning to die on Dressrosa.”_

And ever since Luffy had crashed into his life, and ripped his plans to shreds with that stupidly endearing smile… Law had pointedly not thought about the future.

Right now… Right now, everything was perfect.

Now, he woke up in Luffy’s arms every morning. Now, he could touch Luffy all he wanted, and smile without worrying that someone would take advantage of his happiness- that someone would rip it away from him. Now he was happy, with no worries, and nothing but endless possibilities on the horizon.

Just this once- Law wanted to go with the flow, and enjoy the present. Because he knew that this happiness wouldn’t last forever.

Kanjuro jerked awake behind him with a loud snort, and then stretched with an obnoxious yawn, “Are we there yet?”

Law resisted the urge to stab him in face.

“I can’t even see the top yet, so I would venture to guess- **no**.”

Kin’emon found himself snorting despite himself, and quickly covered his mouth when Kanjuro turned to give him a look of betrayal.

The red-haired samurai sighed deeply, and hugged the monkey in his arms tight enough for a look of suffering to cross the poor creature’s face.

“... I’ve literally been asleep for more than half this ride, and I still find myself so bored that I want to cry.” Kanjuro snuggled closer to the suffering monkey, and he lamented his woes for all who cared to listen.

Law was pointedly not a part of this group, and so he continued his vigilant scrutiny of the overhead skies. They were only just now exiting the fog that surrounded Zou, and Law felt utterly grateful for the hint of blue skies above him.

But the tranquility of the sight was quickly shattered by the sight of something falling through the clouds above them. Law’s golden eyes narrowed, and his sword inched out of his sheath as he took in the newest obstacle on their journey. Like hell he was going to let those two idiots get knocked off _again_.

But the color red was so stark against the white clouds, that it was impossible for Law not to recognize just who that obstacle was.

_“Luffy!”_

Law’s face transformed, and no matter how many times that he saw this change, Kin’emon still couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing.

The dark detachment in his eyes melted away, as if it had never been there to begin with. His voice yelled out with emotion, its domineering sneer gone without a trace as it was replaced with human shock and horror at the sight of someone falling to their death.

Of Luffy falling to his death.

The Doctor of Death moved as if it was his instinct to save people, his hand forming a **Room** even as he fumbled to attach something to the saddle in front of him, “ **Shambles!** ”

With a flick of his hand, suddenly the piece of wood in front of his was replaced by an accelerating body. Law braced himself against the impact, and while the leopard under them had stopped moving in order to keep balanced, Law showed no concern for it as his hand reached up to cup Luffy’s face.

“What happened, are you hurt, were you attacked?!”

Law’s expression and tone demanded answers, but despite the rolling emotions in his gut, Kin’emon could not deny that there was very real concern hidden in those eyes and in the way he clutched Luffy as if he was afraid he would disappear.

When Law was like this… he didn’t look like the demon that Kin’emon knew he was. He looked like an ordinary man.

An ordinary man, who was so in love that the rest of the world melted away.

Kin’emon couldn’t help but hate Law when he looked like this. Because it made him feel like _he_ was the crazy one- like he was stupid to ever think that this man could have done the things that Kin’emon knew he had done.

Luffy was stunned for the first few seconds, it took him a moment to register why he had stopped falling, and then the shock left his face and was replaced with such a joyous smile, that Kin’emon couldn’t help but feel guilty.

_“Torao!”_

Luffy’s arms were stretching and encasing Law in his hold before he even finished his shout, and Law’s tense shoulders for the first time in hours, finally relaxed. Law couldn’t help but smile a similarly relieved smile, and he reached out to clutch Luffy as tightly to him as he could.

_God, I missed you._

The scent of rubber and salt filled Law’s eager nose, and he sighed contently, even as Luffy snuggled eagerly against the side of his neck.

“I missed you.”

Law’s smile widened at Luffy echoing his thoughts, though he would never admit his own weakness out loud. They weren't alone after all, and he was sure that at least one of the samurai would be eager to take advantage of any weakness he presented.

But Luffy was here now, and even if they were attacked, Law knew that they would be able to handle it. He would protect Luffy, just as he knew Luffy would protect him. They would never let anything happen to the other. And the feeling of pure _safety_ , that this thought brought him, made Law stifle the urge to thank Luffy from the bottom of his heart.

“... It’s only been a few hours Luffy-ya.”

Luffy made an annoyed noise, and nipped at Law’s neck in order to punish him, “Doesn’t matter! I still missed you!”

Kanjuro and Kin’emon shifted awkwardly in their seats, as they tried to avert their eyes and give the men in front of them as much privacy as they could. This scene of public affection made both of them physically uncomfortable, and maybe even slightly scandalized. But at the end of the day, Luffy was the last person on earth who would ever censor his affections- especially to cater to the sensibilities of others.

“Admit it! You missed me too!” Luffy gently tickled Law on his side, and Law squirmed awkwardly as he tried not to laugh.

“Okay, Okay Luffy-ya! Stop before we fall off the cat too!” Even as Law held back his laughter his eyes shifted from playful to serious, and he reached around Luffy in order to fumble with the pack tied at the front. Seeing Law’s shift in mood, Luffy pouted, but allowed Law’s attention to shift as he buried his face in Law’s neck and smiled into his skin.

Law’s hands pulled out a rope before zipping the pack shut once more, and he looped the rope around Luffy’s waist before tying it to his harness. After making sure his knots were secure, Law turned to look down at Luffy as he reached up to cup his neck.

“Luffy? What happened?”

Luffy made an annoyed noise, but complied in telling Law what had happened. “I fell asleep before strapping myself back in, and I slipped off.” Luffy shrugged, because it really wasn’t a big deal to him. He was surprisingly aerodynamic, and because his body couldn’t feel the stress of falling from heights, he often used it as an advantage in battle.

Law frowned, and gently pinched the skin on Luffy’ neck with haki on his fingers.

“OW!”

Luffy jerked away from Law, and reached up to rub at his abused skin. He looked at Law with big eyes, his expression full of confusion for his abuse.

Law scoffed at the kicked puppy look Luffy was trying to pull off, and secretly told himself to hold firm no matter how effective that look was. He couldn’t let Luffy know how effective it was, or he would never be able to win an argument in the future.

His couldn’t keep his hands from wrapping around Luffy’s waist though. Luffy made Law a very weak man.

“One day you are going to forget to do something important Mugiwara-ya.”

Luffy shrugged, his apparent ‘pain’ forgotten, as he wrapped his arms around Law’s shoulders, and tilted his head up so he could stare into Torao’s eyes. They shined like gleaming gold, and Luffy couldn’t help but melt. He leaned forward, his obsidian eyes shining with contentment, and love.

“And you’ll be there to make sure I remember.”

Luffy hummed happily, one of his hands reaching up to caress Torao’s cheek, and Law felt his own expression crumble. Something similar to despair flashed across his face, and Law’s hands shook as they fisted handfuls of Luffy’s shirt.

“Luffy… I might not be there when you need me to be.”

Luffy’s expression didn’t change when he saw the hidden terror in Law’s eyes, because he knew exactly why Law was afraid. And he actually happened to be right. Law was afraid that he wouldn’t be there- that Luffy would need him, and he would be too far away to help. That he wouldn't be _able_ to help. 

Luffy continued looking into pained golden eyes, his own eyes soft and his lips smiling the slightest smiles.

“You will be.”

Law shut his eyes, and took in a deep breath. His sigh was shaky, but his hands relaxed around Luffy’s shirt.

“Luffy, this isn’t healthy.” Law was trying to warn Luffy as much as he was trying to warn himself. This- this _dependence_ he had on Luffy was going to get them in trouble. And Luffy- Luffy _couldn’t_ depend on him. Because Law was going to let him down.

Law was going to screw this up. He was going to ruin this perfect thing, and then Luffy would realize why loving him was such a _mistake_. He would see the darkness in his soul, the cruelty in his heart, and Luffy was going to  _leave_ him.

Right now everything was perfect. Law didn’t every want to think about tomorrow, because tomorrow, Luffy might not be his anymore.

“I don’t care.”

Law jerked slightly when Luffy’s voice broke through his spiraling thoughts, and he laughed a bitter laugh, even as Luffy gently grabbed his chin and tilted his face down so that Law would meet his eyes.

Luffy’s expression was strangely serious, and his lips set in a firm line, “I love you Torao. And there's nothing that you, or anyone else can say that will change that."

A smile pulled at the corners of Luffy's lips, just like there should always be, “You’re mine Torao. Forever, and Always.”

Law swallowed thickly, and he was thankful that neither of the samurai could see the look on his face. Torao leaned forward, and whispered too quietly for anyone but Luffy to hear, “I’m holding you to that.”

Their lips were so close that they were brushing with every whispered promised, and Luffy leaned foreword to erase that distance.

Luffy kissed Law under the sun-kissed sky, and it really was perfect.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot of excuses, but I hate excuses, and so I am going to stick with saying I am sorry.
> 
> To be honest, I started writing this series when I was in a very dark place. I wanted to have some happiness in my life, and this was it. Writing about Law and Luffy's unhealthy but loving relationship got me through some pretty rough days, and reading your comments never failed to make me smile.
> 
> I like to think that I'm getting better. I'm trying to be productive in other parts of my life, and because of that, this fanfic suffered. For that I am sorry. This has always been a source of happiness for me, and I think it has been for you too.  
> I promise I will definitely get back to updating more frequently- at least back to once a month :)
> 
> I love you guys, Thank you, for all your encouragement. Thank you for reading this, and sharing this happiness with me. It really meant more to me then words can describe.


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